At airports, I’ve always waited in line to get a printed boarding pass. Time for a change I guess.
Apparently I can check online and print my boarding pass as a pdf at home or even download the airline’s app and get a qr code to print the boarding pass at a kiosk inside the airport. Do I need an active internet connection at the airport to use the kiosk? I wont have internet there.
My airline explains they can send a pdf copy of the boarding pass to my email address. Is it really not a problem to print my boarding pass on regular office paper and not on cardboard airlines use?
If I download the airline’s app to get the qr code to print the boarding card at the kiosk, will the airline spam me with ads I don’t want?
Can I both print the boarding pass at home AND get the qr code to print the boarding pass at the kiosk?
Apparently there is something called ‘receive boarding pass by sms’. How does this work?
Never had any problems with early checkin and boarding pass on the phone, it’s very convenient. You can just save your QR code as a picture on your phone, you don’t need internet.
You can just save your QR code as a picture on your phone, you don’t need internet.
This. OP says they won’t have internet and they don’t seem to fly often. Since most Airline apps are shitty, don’t rely on their app. It could disappear; crash; forget who you are; know who you are, but forget about your flight. This never happens to frequent flyers with the regular airline, but it could totally happen to OP. (And no, it’s not the super-low-cost budget airlines that have shitty apps)
Airlines these days are really easy to recover from digital failures. Just walk up to the desk and they will print out whatever you need.
Exactly, don’t worry if your phone stops working or if you lose the physical Boarding pass. Just ask nicely and they will print it out for you in case something does not work out.
I always take screenshots of the app screens and have them ready to go. Nothing worse than the app deciding it needs to refresh and then hanging just as you reach a scanner.
I print paper copies just in case but rarely need them. Last time I tried to use one the scanner couldn’t read it because it was designed to scan phones and passes, not the giant version they send you to print.
Well, as someone who has lost boarding passes with no backup before: it’s really not a big deal. Just ask the boarding crew and they will print your pass again.
Yes, I’m probably dropping this. Old habits die hard
Google Wallet now let’s you import bordning passes into it. Once loaded in your phone you don’t need Internet to pull them up, and can easily pull them up on a linked smart watch.
I’ve been traveling full time for 5 years. I always when possible check-in online. I always screenshot my boarding pass so it’s in my gallery and available without internet. (same goes for any any other documents that may be required) No need for Google wallet, seems like an unnecessary step to me.
I also share the pics of my passes with my wife ever since I dropped my phone and smashed its face the day before coming home.
Exactly, same
I went into a restaurant here in NYC a out 6 months ago after a long smoke session and was asked to scan a QR code to get the menu. Being too high to operate a phone I told then I didn’t have a phone and they insisted that was the only way to get a menu.
I promptly told them to fuck off and soon realized the only other place to eat for at least 2 blocks was a vegan burger shop. It turns out the vegan burger place had the most bangin burgers I’ve had in years, though that just may be the herb talking.
All in all a satisfying experience.
Hey friend, there’s no need to fear the possibilities. If you are the person named on the ticket you will be able to board. Tickets nowadays can be scanned a multitude of ways, most airlines I’ve flown with the same scanner can read QR codes, barcodes and whatever the SMS style code is called. This isn’t about reducing options for you, it’s about increasing them. If you feel more comfortable with a printed boarding pass then they will be happy for you to do that.
But in answer to your question, there’s nothing special about the cardboard the passes get printed on, it’s just to make it less likely that you’ll lose it or throw it away accidentally. But even then, you can just present ID at the ticket gate, they’ll verify that you’re who you say you are and let you on. So what I’m saying is; give it a shot. You’ve got nothing to lose.
your QR code is your boarding pass
i love the flying app. its made life so much easier. that said, i get a boarding pass printed every time. i check in manually cuz im always checking a bag, and even when ive already checked in, i ask them to print one.
it only took one experience with the phone not working quickly in the security thing for me to never want to do that again, so i always have the printed version ready just in case. i rarely have to use it.
it seems more efficient having them print it on their barely-there receipt paper than anything i would use.
receiving by sms would just be receiving the QR code in a text. no reason it cant be wherever.
e. i’ve never received spam from delta after registering, and i used a unique email with them so i would know.
Exact same here. Totally fine with showing the pass from my phone, prefer it even. But the stakes are too high to skip the 5 minutes it takes to print a paper copy. I can almost guarantee that everyone else is one close call/missed flight away from doing the same thing, too.
But the stakes are too high to skip the 5 minutes it takes to print a paper copy. I can almost guarantee that everyone else is one close call/missed flight away from doing the same thing, too.
I don’t understand what scenario you’re imagining where there’s a problem. You check in 24 hours before the flight and add the pass to your phone. It’s not going anywhere. How would you ever miss a flight because you didn’t print it? Absolute worst case scenario: they have to look it up at the gate.
Leonardo De Lima, who works in technology, was on his way to Boston Logan International Airport around 5 a.m. for a business trip to Chicago when he realized his phone was in SOS mode. He initially thought it was a problem with his device, until he got to the Delta terminal and saw a lot of confused faces.
“I heard people talking about the outage, and everyone was lingering in the departure area because nobody could pull up their tickets on their phones,” the 32-year-old said. “I saw a lot of stress.”
Sounds a bit sensationalist and doesn’t contradict what I said: if you already added your boarding pass to your phone, it will still be there, regardless of whether you have internet access at the moment. Furthermore, the staff can still pull up your record so nobody is going to miss their flight.
No, my phone went into SOS mode yesterday. No apps, just a button to call 911. And yes, if you lose a ticket, you can indeed miss a flight. Only tale I have for that is a colleague who lost their ticket and the time it took to look up their details put them past boarding, they were stranded at the terminal, but its still an actual risk you can’t wave away.
It takes 5 minutes to save an insane amount of stress and misfortune.
No, my phone went into SOS mode yesterday. No apps, just a button to call 911.
That’s not a thing that exists. The closest thing is the shutdown screen, where the options are “slide to power off,” “Medical ID,” “Emergency SOS” and a cancel button, which requires you to enter your passcode and then takes you back to the home screen.
Never had an issue for as long as I’ve been using them, which is pretty much ever since they were available. I don’t even bother with paper backups anymore because if my phone dies I can just present my credit card that secured the reservation, or my ID, at a kiosk or to a gate agent and get a paper copy.
If you’ve managed to lose your wallet AND your cell while traveling, then frankly you’ve got bigger problems than whether your boarding pass was digital or not.
It’s pretty foolproof, and it’s VERY convenient. Go for it.
I do both. In case I lose my phone, or some kind of outage. It cost basically nothing to have more ways of not being potentially broke or stranded.
I do a lot of traveling in the United States, this may vary depending on where you are.
I haven’t used a physical boarding pass in almost 9 years. Airlines want you to use a digital boarding pass as it costs them less money and is more secure, so you actually get less sales pitches with the digital boarding pass. It’s literally here’s your flight information, here’s your QR code, we’ll only text you if something changes, like the gate changed, or there was delay. Printing a pass is obsolete these days. As for offline use. You add it to your phone’s wallet, and most airports in the US have free WiFi, so you’re covered there as well if you didn’t save the image, or have no cell service.
The only time I got spam was when I signed up for airline miles and then I simply opted out and those stopped as well.
Go QR code all the way, no chance of it getting lost.
Short version: Follow the instructions you received, it will work.
Long version:
- Printed PDF on regular paper will always work. Just make sure that the 2D barcode (usually rectangular) gets printed. (Some countries may have other codes for domestic flights.)
- Mobile boarding pass with 2D barcode (usual square) also works on (practically all) airline/airports. (You don’t need an internet connection, but if you receive this via email make sure it’s available offline. If it’s an airline app, make a screenshot. If it’s Apple/Google Wallet or Passbook, don’t worry.)
- As you noticed above, the print and mobile versions look different. Both will work.
- Most airlines have kiosks where you can get a printed boarding pass whether you checked-in online or not. This is your back-up option if your phone’s battery is about to die, the mobile boarding pass does not work, or there was an operational change that requires a new boarding pass.
- Tiny airports that don’t work with mobile boarding passes will have staff to print the boarding pass for you.
- If you are checking in luggage with a human agent, you will probably get a printed boarding pass.
If I download the airline’s app to […], will the airline spam me with ads I don’t want?
Probably yes. Or the app just refuses to work. Airline apps deserve the bad app store rating.
Can I both print the boarding pass at home AND get the qr code to print the boarding pass at the kiosk?
With sane airlines, yes. Standard protocol is to use the last boarding pass generated. So, if for any reason, you get a new boarding pass at the airport, you will use this, not the one printed at home or on your phone. Some airlines will not accept the old barcode or it confuses their system.
Apparently there is something called ‘receive boarding pass by sms’. How does this work?
Old system. They will send you an MMS message or a link. If you don’t have internet at the airport, you must download the link before you get there.
Another short version: Always have three things with you:
- The booking reference, usually 6 characters
- a valid ID
- whatever you received from the airline during booking or check-in
Booking reference and last name are the magic code that will get you a boarding pass most anywhere.
Flawless for me, using the Qantas app here in Australia. Just a shame their service itself has turned to absolute flaming dogshit.
Fine!
For me, the primary advantages of a mobile boarding pass are:
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No need to get in line at the airline counter and you can go straight to security.
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You can sneak in your carry-on or personal bag without them inspecting the size or weight. Sure, some budget airlines still check at the boarding gate, but they only usually pick out bags that are obviously too large.
You usually have to register with an email to access your qr code on an airline’s app, so yes you will definitely be getting emails for promos and such. If you don’t want that, you can use a throwaway email when buying tickets ans registering on their app. The qr code is the boarding pass itself. So if you insist on printing a boarding pass, then just request one at the check-in counter.
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Never had problems with them. My new air fryer uses them so I use them several times a week to make easy prep meals or common freezer items like pizza rolls or whatever. Boarding passes have never been a problem either, though I don’t usually fly because it’s a pain in the ass.
Loading boarding passes in Google Wallet is nice, I don’t belive you need internet once it is loaded. The airline apps can be great or mediocre. A positive example was from I flew United in the summer and had a tight layover at a large airport I had never been to. As soon as I landed it popped up and provided the instructions for how to get to my gate. No issues with spam from the apps, I always just delete them when I’m done with the trip as I don’t fly that often.
In addition to what others have said, paying for bags or seat upgrades when you check in online or in the app is usually cheaper than it is at the airport.
